Tag Archives: event ideas

martha expands her line at Staples!

18 Jan

There is another reason to love Martha even more (if we think that could be possible?). She has a new line of home and office products now available at Staples! It’s no shock that if your life is organized, than it runs better.. so Martha always reminds us of that with her new product launches.

As event planners, we’ll definitely be checking out this new line and can’t wait to brighten up our organization skills! Much of the line would work as all sorts of event decor too, we’re excited to get creative!

Thanks Martha!

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. unveiled a partnership with the Framingham office supply chain Staples Inc. and manufacturer Avery Dennison Corp. to launch a line of home-office products. The collection, known as the Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery, will arrive in stores and on staples.com with more than 300 products, including binders, notebooks, desktop organizers, and labeling systems.

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fun escort card ideas!

17 Jan

Whether you’re planning a dinner party, corporate event, or a wedding escort cards always come in handy so you can have a bit of control over the room and take the stress of picking a seat off of your guests. As we are planning weddings for our 2012 brides we’ve come across a lot of cool alternatives to try out. Below are my favorites…I’ll let you know what we end up doing!

Who doesn’t think of love when they see red? This design is so pretty…especially with Valentine’s Day coming up.

I have enough wine corks saved up to plan an event for a bajillion people (that’s right…BAJILLION).

Having escort cards like the ones shown here would allow you to use them as your favors as well. Pick a low cost and seasonal flower to match your theme for the event.

I LOVE this one using starfish. Perfect for a beach or nautical theme event. Our friend at MLC Designs has done this before for a client and they came out great.

This card option is both cute AND delicious. VOILA…ketchup! If you know me at all then you know that ketchup is my BFF. I mean..I probably love it more than pinterest (GASP!). This card would be perfect for an outdoor (I’m thinking BBQ), more relaxed event…probably one that would require the use of ketchup. Maybe even a brunch, some people put ketchup on eggs…that’s probably the one thing I don’t use ketchup for but hey, no judgment here.

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Playoffs? PLAYOFFS?!?!

13 Jan

Oh man, the playoffs are in full swing and it is a HUGE weekend for Ravens fans (and Giants woo woo!). If you are hosting a playoff party I’ve pulled together a few cool ideas to dress your place for this exciting (and nail biting) occasion. And if you’re attending a party then do NOT go empty handed (shame shame). Check out our ideas below and get your cute little butt to the grocery store. HUT HUT!

Table Display – This idea is courtesy of Hostess with the Mostess (genius!).  It’s pretty easy to replicate and scale down to make your own. It can be as simple as getting a green plastic tablecloth (football field), black/white napkins (referee), plates to match your team’s colors, and printing little labels to deck out the paper cups. Love how they labeled all the food options too.

Football Deviled Eggs – Ok, I love deviled eggs…these are SO easy to make and it’s even easier to make them look like footballs. Done and done.

Football field snack tray – I don’t really know where to start with this one. At first glance I think it’s the coolest thing since sliced bread, but then I took a closer look and wondered to myself, “self…is this a little too much for people to handle?” SO, I asked my husband…because clearly he would have the answer. His response, “Ashley, it has bacon, it’s great.” Well…I guess I have my answer. Alright everyone, feast your eyes on this. Using a disposable cookie sheet, the team at Holy Taco (click the link for all the details) put together a dip and snack filled football field. Yes, the stadium walls are made of twinkies, they are toothpicked together to keep the whole tray in place. Where’s the bacon? Check out the inside wall…bacon is toothpicked to the interior twinkies. good times.

Stackable Snack – Of course this is also football shaped. Take an oval shaped cracker and pile it with summer sausage and a slice of cheese. Top it with a light ranch dressing for the stripes of the football. Cute!

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double stuffed oreo/reese cup sandwich…aka…HEAVEN

12 Jan

I shared this recipe on our Facebook page the other day but this looks too amazing to not give it a special blog post. The team at Cookies & Cups  shared this little master piece a few months ago and I am dying to try it. It includes two of my favorite things – oreos and reese cups…I mean really, what could be better?!?!

Ingredients

  • Double stuff oreos (regular or vanilla..or BOTH)
  • Reese Cups
  • Melting Chocolate

Directions

  • Gather an even number of double stuffed oreos to reese cups
  • Twist apart the oreos
  • Sandwich the reese cup between two oreo halves (both halves should have stuffing on them)
  • Apply light pressure to the sides so the filling acts as a glue to hold the whole sandwich together
  • Dunk the sandwich in melting chocolate
  • Let harden on tray (I would put in the fridge to hurry up the process)
  • Feel free to crush the unused oreo sides on top of the sandwich
  • EAT THEM ALL UP! Well not all of them, you should probably share…but only share with nice people.

I would love to wrap them up in a nice baggie and give out as a favor. Perfect for a kids party or for a party that includes anyone with a sweet tooth!

Enjoy!

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weekly squeeze: festive NYE drinks with less calories

28 Dec

Time to pop the bubbly! Just thinking about New Year’s Eve makes me thirsty, but I don’t want to throw all of my daily calories into liquid deliciousness. Here are a some tasty options that are just as good, if not better, than calorie packed beverages.

Pear Crumble Champagne Fizz –  Per serving: 170 cal, 0g fat, 25g carbs, 0mg sodium, 0g fiber, 0g protein

Ingredients

1/2 tsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp raw sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
4 oz chilled pear nectar
4 oz chilled champagne or sparkling wine

Moisten the rim of a champagne flute with agave nectar. Combine raw sugar and cinnamon in a small dish and gently dip the rim of the flute into the cinnamon-sugar mixture until coated. Pour pear nectar into flute and top with champagne.

Pomegranate Cosmos – Per serving: 188 cal, 0g fat, 17 g carbs, 4mg sodium, 0g protein, 0g fiber

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups pomegranate juice
2 1/4 cups vodka
1 cup lime juice
3/4 cup Cointreau, or Grand Marnier
1/4 cup ginger juice, (see Note)
2 tablespoons sugar, preferably superfine “bar sugar,” plus more for the rims
Strips of lime zest, for garnish

Mix pomegranate juice, vodka, lime juice, Cointreau (or Grand Marnier), ginger juice and sugar in a large pitcher.
For each drink, fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice, add 1/2 cup Cosmo mix, and shake until the shaker turns frosty and cold. Dip the rim of a martini (or highball) glass into water and then in sugar (to “sugar the rim”). Strain the drink into the martini glass (or over fresh ice in the highball glass). Garnish with a twist of lime zest, if desired.

Blood Orange Margarita - Per serving: 198 cal, 2.5 g fat (0 g sat), 19 g carbs, 150 mg sodium, 3 g fiber, 1 g protein 

Ingredients

1/4 tsp lime zest
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup fresh or bottled blood orange juice (1 1/2 oranges)
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 oz tequila
1/2 oz orange liqueur, such as Cointreau
1 blood orange wheel, for garnish

Moisten the rim of a glass with water. Mix zest and salt and dip rim into it. Combine juices, tequila, and orange liqueur in an ice-filled shaker. Shake vigorously. Strain into glass and garnish with orange wheel.

Please drink responsibly!

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more delicious treats!

17 Dec

As holiday activities peak this week I cannot help but share more delicious recipes that you all can incorporate into your parties. I just might have to make these for my annual New Year’s Eve trip with friends. Bring on the elastic waistband pants friends…YUM!!!

Cake Batter Fudge

Snowman Cookies

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last weekend for holiday parties!

16 Dec

Heading to a holiday party this weekend? Be the talk of the evening with this delicious eggnog recipe by Paula Dean. Don’t worry, there’s no butter in this beverage…just bourbon.

Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pint Bourbon
  • 1 pint heavy cream
  • 4 pints milk
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 1 tablespoon Vanilla
  • Nutmeg

Directions
In a bowl beat the egg yolks with the 1/2 cup of sugar until thick. In another bowl beat the egg whites with 1/4 cup of sugar until thick. In a third bowl beat the cream until thick. Add the cream to the yolk, fold in the egg whites, and add the milk, Bourbon, Vanilla, and a pinch of nutmeg if desired. Chill in freezer before serving. Serve Eggnog in a large punch bowl.

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fun uses for candy canes at your hoilday parties!

9 Dec

In the past we’ve used candy canes as a treat, on top of presents, or even on the tree. Below are additional creative uses for one of our favorite holiday candies.

Candy canes + cake pops + hot chocolate? Your guests may not be able to drink it do to the extreme cuteness.

Leave it to WS to come up with candy cane tooth picks! How cute would these be with your finger foods?

These would be great for your dessert table or as favors for guests. All thanks to mini candy canes!

candy canes + a small round glass vase + a ribbon = perfect holiday vase

Another spin on a vase + flowers + candy canes!

Crunch them up, dip a marshmallow in chocolate, grab some straws…. very tasty dessert.

As simple as putting candy canes in a glass jar…

Hang them up by the window!

Dip them in chocolate! yum.

Mix it up at holiday parties this year and wow your guests with your new take on the classic candy cane.

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on a tight budget? save by choosing paperless invites

8 Dec

So I imagine I will be the kind of bride that will spend more on invitations and save-the-dates than the cake and flowers combined. I love paper products and I have for a while, even more so now that everyone is so e-mail obsessed. With that being said, not everyone is as card-stock happy as me and one way to save a TON of money for upcoming events, is to send an invitation online. While I love sites like evite and paperless post, I’m also loving the new Martha Stewart line for pingg. I picked out some of my favorite engagement party, wedding shower and save-the-dates’s below!

The S’more invite above is my favorite :)

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tips to plan a stress free holiday party!

5 Dec

Clearly I love planning parties but I totally understand the stress and anxiety that come with it. The next two weekends are going to be jam packed with holiday parties and I cannot help to be both excited and nervous at the same time! If you are getting ready to be the hostess with the mostess check out the tips below to help you get through the party stress (and sweat) free!

- If you’ve got friends like mine then you know the place where everyone is most likely to congregate is the kitchen. I don’t care how big your house is..this is going to happen! Try spreading out all of the goodies. Set up a nice bar area in the living room with the food in a few different places. That way people will have to migrate around to get what they want. Avoid placing anything near the door so nobody blocks traffic coming in/out of the house. Which leads me to my next tip…

- Room layout – Feel free to rearrange the furniture the make it more conducive to guests who will most likely be standing and/or sitting in groups. You’ll want everyone to have easy access to food and drink but also have the room to set up to be ideal for socializing.

- Bar accessories – Make sure you have everything out that you’re going to need for the bar. If you’re putting out wine and/or beer you’ll want to make sure you have a bottle opener on the table with all of the drink options. That way you don’t have guests rummaging around the kitchen and you don’t have to rummage either!

- Food options – I am known for always getting WAY too much food than necessary but my policy is that it’s better to have too much food than not enough. Think of foods that you can make the night before or morning of so you’re not cooking up to the minute your guests arrive (or while everyone is there!). And don’t feel like everything has to be homemade either (though I put the pressure on myself to do this as well). There are some delicious frozen appetizer options out there that are quick and easy.

And don’t forget to have fun!

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